display
Bonn (dpa / lnw) - Regardless of the deep frosts in March, NRW farmers expect a good rhubarb harvest in 2021.
After the start of the greenhouse harvest at the beginning of March, the first farmers had already started harvesting outdoors, said Peter Muß from the Provincial Association of Rhenish Fruit and Vegetable Growers.
"The supply is still relatively scarce, but it gets bigger every warmer day," said Muß.
Overall, a result at the level of previous years is to be expected.
"Rhubarb does not mind low temperatures."
The Rhineland is Germany's main cultivation area for the poles.
Their noticeable acidic taste is not only used for compotes and cakes, but also occasionally for other recipes, such as chutneys with meat.
In 2019, according to the State Statistical Office IT.NRW, rhubarb was grown nationwide on almost 630 hectares, especially in the administrative districts of Cologne and Düsseldorf.
The acreage increased by almost a third in 2019 compared to the annual average from 2013 to 2018.
The total yield in 2020 was a good 12,700 tons - about three percent less than in 2019.
As with asparagus, some farmers work with methods to early harvest - such as the Kaarst vegetable farmer Herbert Wilms.
He is currently harvesting stalks from a heated polytunnel.
The unheated field harvest does not begin for him for about 14 days.
The poles from the heated tunnel are longer, less bitter and have more color than the outdoor vegetables, said Wilms.
As with asparagus, the rhubarb harvest season ends on June 24th.
display
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210330-99-21218 / 2